PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A HIGHLY STABLE PILLARED CLAY - GAAL12-PILLARED RECTORITE

The preparation, thermal stabilities and surface acid characteristics of a novel microporous GaA1(12)-pillared rectorite have been studied. GaA1(12)-pillared rectorites with different pillar concentrations rang ing from 2.0 to 6.0 mmol of GaA1(12) g(-1) of day, are reported. The G aA1(12)-pillared rectorite with pillar loading of 6.0 mmol (42 mequiv) GaA1(12) g(-1) of clay, exhibits outstanding thermal stability, maint aining a strongly ordered gallery spacing of 1.00 nm and therefore mic roporosity, after heating in air at 973 K. Analysis of the IR spectra of adsorbed pyridine revealed both Lewis and Bronsted acid sites simil ar to those observed for A1(13)-pillared rectorite. Increasing the con centration of pillars from 2.0 to 6.0 mmol GaA1(12) g(-1) of clay, pro duces materials that possess both greater thermally stability and more abundant acidity. This novel catalytic material represents an overall improvement in both the thermal stability and acid strength of existi ng alumina-based pillared montmorillonites and rectorites.